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Library of Congress Authority File

Abstract

This Comment argues that a bill similar to Assembly Bill 2943 should be proposed today because there has been a drastic shift towards a general acceptance of global warming since 2002. In addition, new environmental studies support the idea of curbing seawall construction along the California coast.

Section I will provide data regarding rising sea levels and the current state of seawall construction along the California coast. It will then explain why seawall construction is not a viable adaptation strategy and delve into its negative social, environmental, and economic impacts.

Section II will examine California’s current policies for protecting coastal zones as well as discuss current seawall regulations. It will then expose the weak nature of these regulations and explain how the current interpretation of the Coastal Act works against the legislature’s original intent.

Section III will describe how Assembly Bill 2943 intended to curb the overwhelming approval of seawall construction and provide a legislative history of the bill before it died on the Senate floor in 2002.

Section IV will argue that a bill similar to Assembly Bill 2943 will have a better chance passing than it did back in 2002 and therefore should be proposed today. This Section will examine California’s current environment policies and describe how they have changed since the denial of AB 2943 back in 2002. In addition, it will address what new environmental studies or reports have taken place since 2002 that support the idea of curbing seawall construction.